


But If You Let Me Be Your Skyline I'll Let You Be The Wave

by onlythebestfandoms



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 14:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlythebestfandoms/pseuds/onlythebestfandoms
Summary: A different take on the Coffee Shop AU that absolutely no one asked for.





	But If You Let Me Be Your Skyline I'll Let You Be The Wave

**Author's Note:**

> My run in the rain yesterday morning was apparently inspiring. And, I suppose, so was the giant SUV that ran through the massive puddle and splashed me.
> 
> Super short and, honestly, probably horrible and not even worth reading. Sorry but for the love of God, please someone stop me.
> 
> Thoughts in italics.

The smell of rain still hung around her, the air heavy and damp with a distinct chill after last night’s torrential downpour. The roaring storm had finally passed at around four that morning but the immense, rippling puddles it left behind remained along the edges of the streets, making her morning jog a little more adventurous as she elusively moved this way and that to evade them. 

She breathed in deeply through her nose, the fall chill invigorating her muscles to move faster as she pushed past her first mile and into her second. 

Laura had been running for years, finding the feeling of the pavement beneath her feet, the repetition in the movements of her arms and legs soothing, the monotony somehow reassuring as she always knew exactly what to expect. It was the one time of day she let her mind shut off from the constant overdrive she usually found it in, a welcome reprieve and calming sensation in the middle of her chaotic world.

And as an added bonus, she apparently had the city to herself that morning. Granted it was Saturday and it was early, the sun’s powerful rays barely illuminating the daunting gray sky above, but she had yet to see another soul along her usual route. And that was just fine. The lack of activity around her was serving to calm her even further, which she desperately needed after the long and trying week she’d had at the paper. It had been one disaster after another and when she’d gotten home late the night before, she sworn she’d use the weekend to recharge and relax. She smiled at the thought of her plans for later that day: snuggled up on her couch with a freshly laundered blanket and a cup of hot cocoa with extra marshmallows, undisturbed by anyone or anything else, the Doctor Who marathon playing on her television in the background.

Yeah, she was definitely looking forward to her day of doing absolutely nothing productive and after this next mile, she could get started. She had structure. She had order. She had… a plan.

She stopped at the upcoming crosswalk, really unnecessary as there was literally no one on the road but Sherman had instilled that whole ‘safety first’ so firmly in her head as a child that she just couldn’t seem to shake it. Turning to her right, she saw nothing but turning to the left, a red motorcycle suddenly cut through the lonely little city, rounding the corner a block away at that moment, heading down the street much faster than they should be. 

_ Reckless idiot, _ she thought, jogging in place as she waited for them to pass so she could safely cross the road. 

She turned her head back in the other direction, the street beyond bare and a little desolate. In fact, the only suggestion of life was the softly lit up neon sign of the coffee shop a few blocks up that she sometimes frequented, Glazed and Confused. It wasn’t always her go to as it was further from her apartment than a handful of other shops but the pastry chef put all the others in the city to shame and Laura was pretty sure that if she lived any closer, she’d probably gain at least twenty pounds. Her chocolate almond croissants were literally life-altering.

_ Maybe I’ll swing by on my way back and grab one, _ she thought, her mouth already salivating at the idea.  _ Ooh and one of those danishes. Hopefully they have the caramel apple ones because I could really go for- _

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden surprised screech that left her mouth, jaw dropping open in shock, her feet immediately stopping as she looked down at her newly soaked clothes that the passing motorcycle had just graced her with. The puddle at the corner in front of her was easily the biggest one she’d seen so far that morning but with no other traffic around, the driver could’ve easily maneuvered around it to avoid completely soaking her with the resulting splash of driving straight through it.

“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” she grumbled, the chill from the water already settling into her skin. Looking up, she watching the bike speed down the street, it’s driver apparently completely oblivious to her plight or the fact that it was solely their fault. Keeping her sight trained on the bright red machine, her eyes narrowed as it hung a quick right into the parking lot of Glazed and Confused, the distinct sound of the loud engine suddenly silent a moment later. Without a second thought she took off at full speed towards the coffee shop, her anger fueling her feet to push her faster and faster through the first block… and then the second… finally stopping quickly in the middle of the third and barreling towards the entrance on the side of the building, her rage mounting further and further with each step.

Ripping the door open in fury, she walked into the coffee shop and halted, her eyes roaming over the only two patrons in the place: a goofy looking guy at the back table with three fresh and sizable bear claws in front of him and in one of the booths along the side next to the window, a dark-haired girl reading from a well-worn novel, sipping from the steaming cup in front of her, and who was hands down…

_ The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, _ she thought, letting her gaze linger a little longer than socially acceptable, taking in the incredibly sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and obviously full and kissable lips.  _ Lips that- no! Focus. _

Moving her gaze back to the guy, she huffed as she read the title on the magazine he was currently thumbing through, rolling up the sleeves of her compression shirt as her eyes narrowed, her teeth angrily grinding together. 

_ Cycle World. Bingo. You’re dead, dude. _

Fists clenched at her sides, she stomped towards him, her soaked socks noisily squishing inside of her shoes as she did, her face a mask of utter outrage.

“What is wrong with you?!” she said, her voice a level above the appropriate volume for a public venue.

“Huh?” The man in question looked up, his eyes blank, jaw slack, apparently confused as to why he was suddenly being verbally assaulted by the tiny brunette.

“Do you seriously have no common courtesy?” she bellowed. “I mean, there was no one else on the road and plenty of space for you to maneuver around! Did you really have to drive straight through that puddle with me standing right there?!”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh my god! What are you, like completely oblivious to everyone in the world besides yourself? I mean, how egocentric can you be? There are other people in the world you know! Or did you not realize that?” she continued, her hands now moving in front of her in wide, wild arcs.

“Um… yes?” he stuttered, his voice clearly unsure, eyes wide and a little frightened.

“Yes what?!” she screeched.

“Yes… um, I realize there are other people in the world?” he said hesitantly, his terrified gaze never leaving hers as he attempted to unglue his sticky fingers from the magazine.

“Are you asking me?” she continued, completely floored by his stupidity.

“Um… no?”

Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to let another rant fly when a voice behind the counter rang out, cutting her off.

“Kirsch… your hot apple cider’s ready.”

She turned, seeing the short-haired redhead that also worked at the shop holding a to-go cup aloft, nodding at her with a grin in greeting. She looked back, watching this…  _ Kirsch  _ scramble up from his seat, grabbing at his bear claws as he did, the doughy treats losing their pristine form as he jammed them into a napkin and bolted away from the table. He threw a quick ‘thank you’ out as he snatched the cup and practically ran out of the shop, his tail between his legs.

“Let me know when you’ve calmed down and are ready to order,” the short-haired ginger said with a toothy grin as they walked towards the kitchen, bringing her attention back from where the stuttering buffoon had just escaped.

_ Ugh! Seriously, I just wanted to get through my run in peace and enjoy my day imitating a hermit!  _ she thought, pushing away a few wet strands of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail.

“Some people, right?” she heard a sultry voice behind her followed by a soft chuckle.

She turned, seeing the incredibly beautiful raven-haired girl smirking at her, casually leaning back against the double paned window, so cool and unaffected, and swallowed hard as she watched the girl raise one of those perfectly sculpted eyebrows, clearly waiting for a response.

“Uh… yeah,” she stumbled, her outrage suddenly fleeing as she took in those deep, hypnotically dark eyes.  _ Crap, now I’m the one who can’t speak. _

The girl just chuckled again before pointing towards the empty side of the booth across from her, motioning for Laura to sit. 

_ Oh! Well, this is an unexpected surprise. _ She cleared her throat nervously as she slowly shuffled towards the booth, her feet still squishing uncomfortably in her soggy shoes. Pausing briefly to give the girl a chance to back out of her offer, she carefully sat on the vacant bench, noticing the other girl’s eyes never leaving her face, that playful smirk growing ever so slightly at the edges.

“I um… I’m sorry if I ruined your coffee with the yelling and the berating,” Laura said bashfully, looking down at her hands in her lap.

“You didn’t ruin anything. I was just looking for a quick warm-up with the coffee. Didn’t know I’d be getting a show too,” the stranger teased. 

Laura felt her lips curve into a smile and her cheeks heat up with a predictable blush. But come on, this girl was gorgeous and flirting with her! With her, nerdy little Laura Hollis!

“What happened exactly?” the stranger asked, her voice practically silk as it wrapped around Laura’s ears.

“Ugh. I was just out for a run and he very rudely drove his bike right through a giant puddle. Absolutely soaked me. As you can see,” she grumbled, pulling at the front of her shirt which was uncomfortably glued to her chest, the material quickly cooling and leaving goosebumps along her skin. 

“That is rude. The nerve,” she said, still smirking as she leaned forward onto the table, her eyes dancing as Laura finally looked up. “Let me buy you a cup of coffee. You know, to make up for his bad behavior.”

“Shouldn’t  **he** be buying me a cup of coffee to make up for his bad behavior?” Laura argued, pointing out the obvious flaw in the proposal. 

“Well, if he did that, then it might put a wrench in my plan of asking you to have dinner with me tonight,” she said smoothly.

“Oh! Oh… well, uh…” 

This girl was asking her out? Really? Seriously?  _ Holy Hufflepuff! _

“Ok,” she finally squeaked, making the girl chuckle once more, the sound so warm and melodic, drawing her in even further. 

“Good answer. So for now, what can I get you, cupcake?”

“Oh, um, I’ll just take one of those brown sugar, cinnamon coffees,” she finally answered, her voice registering at a pitch higher than normal as her hands nervously fidgeted with the edge of the Formica table. 

“Be right back, cutie.”

“It’s Laura,” she said hurriedly.  _ Yeah, she’s hot but we may have to talk about these nicknames. _

“Carmilla,” she said, extending her hand, so soft and warm when it met Laura’s own. “Be right back… creampuff.”

She tried to look displeased at the new sobriquet but felt her lips forcefully turning up at the edges, completely betraying her. Carmilla simply smirked once more, her eyebrows wiggling just so as she stood and made her way to the counter.

* * *

“So, um… thanks for the coffees. And the chocolate cinnamon roll. And the caramel apple danish,” she said bashfully, two hours later as they stood from the booth, walking towards the door. She’d planned on leaving after the first drink, but Carmilla had her completely enraptured with her incredible charm and charisma.

_ So much for the day of being a recluse that I’d planned, _ she thought, not feeling the slightest bit of actual remorse. Walking outside with other girl only a step behind her, she stopped and turned, taking her incredible beauty in once more, still floored that she’d spent most of the morning with this enchanting creature. 

“You are very welcome, creampuff,” Carmilla said, her incredibly dark eyes never leaving Laura’s face even as the smaller girl found her own nervously forcing themselves to the ground where their feet stood close, Carmilla’s firmly planted in her black boots but Laura’s own wriggling nervously in her damp tennis shoes. “So, I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yeah, um… sure. I’ll text you my address,” she answered, waving her phone with Carmilla’s newly entered number in front of her and smiling softly. 

“I’ll see you at seven then,” she said, smirking once more as she slowly leaned forward, surprising Laura with a soft, lingering kiss against her cheek. “Get home safe… and dry, cupcake.”

She smiled once more with a giggle as she watched Carmilla turn and walk away, rounding the other side of the building and leaving her sight. 

_ Oh, wow, I owe that Kirsch a hot apple cider, _ she thought with another giddy grin, finally turning and heading towards the street, using every ounce of willpower she possessed not to break into a victory dance. Behind her she heard the distinct sound of a motorcycle start up, it’s engine revving loud and garish. Furrowing her brow, she stopped along the sidewalk, turning back to see the sleek red bike round the corner of the building and head her way slowly.  _ Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. _

Attempting to put on her most disapproving glare (though, honestly all she wanted to do at that moment was laugh), she crossed her arms over her chest, hip jutting to the side just so in an angry stance. She watched the driver edge up alongside her and stop, the rider chuckling softly, long dark hair blowing gently in the chilly autumn breeze below their helmet.

“Later, cutie,” Carmilla said, raising her voice so that she could be heard over the bike’s engine before taking off, gears shifting quickly as she tore down the street. 

Laura felt the smile cracking across her face as the other girl drove off, shaking her head in amazement.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered as she looked both ways and quickly jogged across the street, avoiding any puddles in her way. The last thing she needed was to get completely soaked by another idiot.  _ Or a beautiful asshole,  _ she thought with a giggle.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: dogsbeerandawesomeness


End file.
